Book Review: MGB and MGB GT problems and how to fix them

MGB and MGB GT problems and how to fix them by Roger Williams tackles some of the more common MGB problems. It is written for the amateur mechanic and is very readable. Each chapter tackles a particular issue, for example, chapter 1 is titled "engine will not start from cold". The chapters are then nicely broken down into sub paragraphs that deal with the various aspects of the problem. Throughout there are excellent photo graphs. This is a great book. I have used it for dealing with specific problems, and also to give me some background information before I tackled some general maintenance problem. This is a great book, and a must have. I give it 9/10.

Book Review: How to power tune MGB

How to Power tune MGB 4 cylinder engines for road and track by Peter Burgess is an interesting book, but I think it is of limited use for most amateur wrenchers who are just mucking around with their daily driver. Most of the modifications involve pretty drastic work to the cylinder head or fuel system and are really the only suitable for someone with a pretty high skill level and also some experience in machine shop work.

Having said all this, the book is still very interesting and provides a lot of information about how the potential of the engine can be realized. I enjoyed reading it, but I don't think that I'll be doing much from it any time soon.

So, I give it 6/10. For a shade tree mechanic, you can probably skip this one if you are looking for books that will help you work on the car.

Book Review: MGB Electrical Systems

MGB Electrical Systems by Rick Astley is a fantastic book - a must have book for any amateur working on an MGB. The book is beautifully illustrated with lots of high quality pictures of components and very clear and well labeled circuit diagrams. The book is very well written and very readable.

The book is much more than a fix it manual. The first 7 chapters provides a lot of really useful introductory stuff. For example there are sections on tools and wire handling, electrical theory, fuses etc. The subsequent chapters each focus on a particular electrical system, for example, chapter 10 looks at the starting system. In each chapter, Astley outlines how the system works and what the major components are. He then outlines potential problems and diagnostics as well as solutions. The best way to approach any of the chapters is to read them from beginning to end before you start work and then have the book at hand as you go to work.

I give this one a 10/10.